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Interview With 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team Goalie
Aired February 25, 2004 - 15:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Disney's movie "Miracle" has been out for about three weeks now and it's still going strong, earning more than $50 million at the box office so far. It's also renewed interest in the miracle on ice, named by "Sports Illustrated" as the greatest sports moment of the 20th century.
I'm joined now by Jim Craig. Craig, of course, was the goalie for the 1980 gold medal-winning U.S. hockey team.
And what an honor. Everybody here wants to meet you.
JIM CRAIG, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL WINNER: Well, that's really nice.
PHILLIPS: I got to know, as you see this movie, as you what the movie, do you get chills? How does it make you feel to see someone playing your character?
CRAIG: Well, after all these years, you get married and you have children, so it means so much more to you, that I found myself, you know, in tears, remembering people who had sacrificed so much time to get me that opportunity and how great it made the country feel.
So, it always makes you feel really proud to be an American and represent your country.
PHILLIPS: You know, you hit it right on the head. And I think one of the most well-remembered photos is that one of you with the flag wrapped around you. Everyone remembers that picture.
But I've got to ask you, I think what people remember even more is when you looked up in the stands and said, "Where's my father?"
CRAIG: Right.
PHILLIPS: Tell me -- give me a little history on that.
CRAIG: Well, my mother had just passed away within a year's time. And she had made so many sacrifices for me that I thought -- I knew that my father, after the game, would be thinking of his wife and our mother. And so I just wanted to show the respect to him and make sure he was OK.
And it was a moment where I could remember everything that she did for me. And I learned so much from my father. So, when I see that now, I have a hard time, because I've got my son and my daughter beside me. Tears are coming down my face, seeing this 47-year-old man crying. But it was a very important part of my life. And it was something that wasn't meant for anybody else to see. But I'm really proud of it.
PHILLIPS: Wow. I'm already seeing tears in your eyes. You're going to make me cry.
CRAIG: Yes, I know.
PHILLIPS: We're going to be real mush pots on national television here.
CRAIG: I know.
PHILLIPS: OK, let's take a break for a minute. Let's look at -- you mentioned just the spirit among this team. And there was an individual that was very influential in creating that for you. Let's look at this part from the movie about Herb Brooks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "MIRACLE")
KURT RUSSELL, ACTOR: When you pull on that jersey, you represent yourself and your teammates. And the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the one in the back. Get that through your head. Again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: This was a man that did not believe in being a prima donna, did he?
CRAIG: No.
You know what's so great is that here's a man that had a vision, and he let all his players have a dream, and he just made us believe that we were capable of achieving more than we even knew we were capable of. And he was such a mentor. And if you look at the end of the movie, you'll see all of us have done very well. And that's because he was much more than a coach. He told us how and taught us how to be young men and good leaders.
And, you know, after 24 years, we're trying to give back. USA hockey's done so much for us. But Herb as a man, I know, for me, he was an incredible mentor, meant so much more than a coach. And so it's a great tribute to the man who did a wonderful thing for a bunch of guys who really cared.
PHILLIPS: Well, and, Jim, I don't know if a lot of people realize that you guys were -- this was sort of a random mix of kind of raw talent. It's not like you were like the Russian team, where -- you were definitely the underdog. I mean, describe to folks, you know, how this team, how you were comprised of such a, you know, kind of an unpolished, I guess you could say, group of amateurs.
CRAIG: Well, I think you'll see -- like in the NBA now for example, you will see a lot of players from Europe, but there really weren't considered good basketball players in Europe.
Well, hockey went through that same thing. The American hockey player really wasn't established. He wasn't a junior player. He wasn't a Canadian. And what we had to do is prove to them that we were capable of doing that. But what Herb did was, he created a team and a bunch of guys who he really made them what we were. And it was just a remarkable thing. Probably never happen again.
And we're just really proud of it, because we won for the country. It wasn't for our hometown. It was for our hometown and everybody's hometown.
PHILLIPS: And this was a time, Iran crisis. Gas lines were huge. There was inflation. This was a rough time. Did you even realize -- did any of you guys realize that you were this sort of inspiring -- you were the only inspiring thing going on at that time?
CRAIG: You know, I don't think we did.
And even if the movie, as good as it's done, the kids today, they really don't understand what communism was and how strong a power Russia was and how that there are soldiers in the Red Army were nothing but professional players. And so it's really hard to have people capture that feeling. But if you listen to that speech that Jimmy Carter does, you can see how nervous and how unassured he is, even in that speech.
So I think it's great, at least for my son and daughter. It shows them how lucky we are to be Americans and how many things that we take for granted. And we have our men and women fighting for us right now to keep this beautiful country of ours. And so I'm just thrilled that we have a really good movie where kids can go. You can go with your grandmother all the way down to your youngest.
And it's just a real, true story about something that was great. And I'm just part of it with 20 great guys. And that cheer, "USA," came out of there. And isn't that great that people felt it from their hearts after four, five or six games that that's what they were feeling? So it means a lot to us, because it means so much to other people.
PHILLIPS: Well, yes. And my girlfriend's kids, these young boys are going to see the movie two and three times. And this is a whole different generation still inspired by this moment. What do your kids say to you? Do they look at you and say, wow, dad, you were really cool?
CRAIG: Yes. I think the thing that's nice about it is that it's a sense of pride with our whole family.
And just Gavin O'Connor and the folks at Disney who worked so hard on this, today, there are so many good stories, but people don't focus always on the good things. And it's really nice to see a movie that is real and heartwarming. It makes people leave there -- I say to people that, when you fight with your children and this comes on DVD, plug it in and then, at the end of the movie, everybody will give somebody a hug. And isn't that what it's supposed to be like?
PHILLIPS: Yes, it is. CRAIG: So I just feel great for everybody who enjoyed it. And I'm just happy that I was just a part of it.
PHILLIPS: Do you ever talk to any of those Russian players from the Olympics?
CRAIG: We have. It was funny. The best line that they told me was that they were so used to winning that it wasn't fun. And when they saw us win, they remembered the joy that they used to have.
PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh.
CRAIG: And they were so happy for us. And I thought that was very telling. Vladimir Luchenko (ph)
and I coached together. He was a player on that team. So we're giving back to hockey and to the youth some great experiences from a North American style and a European style.
PHILLIPS: You know, that's a miracle right there.
CRAIG: Yes.
PHILLIPS: That's pretty awesome. Jim Craig, what a pleasure. Will you hang out for a little while?
CRAIG: I absolutely will.
PHILLIPS: OK, there's a lot of people here that want to meet you.
CRAIG: Thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Jim.
CRAIG: You bet.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 25, 2004 - 15:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Disney's movie "Miracle" has been out for about three weeks now and it's still going strong, earning more than $50 million at the box office so far. It's also renewed interest in the miracle on ice, named by "Sports Illustrated" as the greatest sports moment of the 20th century.
I'm joined now by Jim Craig. Craig, of course, was the goalie for the 1980 gold medal-winning U.S. hockey team.
And what an honor. Everybody here wants to meet you.
JIM CRAIG, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL WINNER: Well, that's really nice.
PHILLIPS: I got to know, as you see this movie, as you what the movie, do you get chills? How does it make you feel to see someone playing your character?
CRAIG: Well, after all these years, you get married and you have children, so it means so much more to you, that I found myself, you know, in tears, remembering people who had sacrificed so much time to get me that opportunity and how great it made the country feel.
So, it always makes you feel really proud to be an American and represent your country.
PHILLIPS: You know, you hit it right on the head. And I think one of the most well-remembered photos is that one of you with the flag wrapped around you. Everyone remembers that picture.
But I've got to ask you, I think what people remember even more is when you looked up in the stands and said, "Where's my father?"
CRAIG: Right.
PHILLIPS: Tell me -- give me a little history on that.
CRAIG: Well, my mother had just passed away within a year's time. And she had made so many sacrifices for me that I thought -- I knew that my father, after the game, would be thinking of his wife and our mother. And so I just wanted to show the respect to him and make sure he was OK.
And it was a moment where I could remember everything that she did for me. And I learned so much from my father. So, when I see that now, I have a hard time, because I've got my son and my daughter beside me. Tears are coming down my face, seeing this 47-year-old man crying. But it was a very important part of my life. And it was something that wasn't meant for anybody else to see. But I'm really proud of it.
PHILLIPS: Wow. I'm already seeing tears in your eyes. You're going to make me cry.
CRAIG: Yes, I know.
PHILLIPS: We're going to be real mush pots on national television here.
CRAIG: I know.
PHILLIPS: OK, let's take a break for a minute. Let's look at -- you mentioned just the spirit among this team. And there was an individual that was very influential in creating that for you. Let's look at this part from the movie about Herb Brooks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "MIRACLE")
KURT RUSSELL, ACTOR: When you pull on that jersey, you represent yourself and your teammates. And the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the one in the back. Get that through your head. Again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: This was a man that did not believe in being a prima donna, did he?
CRAIG: No.
You know what's so great is that here's a man that had a vision, and he let all his players have a dream, and he just made us believe that we were capable of achieving more than we even knew we were capable of. And he was such a mentor. And if you look at the end of the movie, you'll see all of us have done very well. And that's because he was much more than a coach. He told us how and taught us how to be young men and good leaders.
And, you know, after 24 years, we're trying to give back. USA hockey's done so much for us. But Herb as a man, I know, for me, he was an incredible mentor, meant so much more than a coach. And so it's a great tribute to the man who did a wonderful thing for a bunch of guys who really cared.
PHILLIPS: Well, and, Jim, I don't know if a lot of people realize that you guys were -- this was sort of a random mix of kind of raw talent. It's not like you were like the Russian team, where -- you were definitely the underdog. I mean, describe to folks, you know, how this team, how you were comprised of such a, you know, kind of an unpolished, I guess you could say, group of amateurs.
CRAIG: Well, I think you'll see -- like in the NBA now for example, you will see a lot of players from Europe, but there really weren't considered good basketball players in Europe.
Well, hockey went through that same thing. The American hockey player really wasn't established. He wasn't a junior player. He wasn't a Canadian. And what we had to do is prove to them that we were capable of doing that. But what Herb did was, he created a team and a bunch of guys who he really made them what we were. And it was just a remarkable thing. Probably never happen again.
And we're just really proud of it, because we won for the country. It wasn't for our hometown. It was for our hometown and everybody's hometown.
PHILLIPS: And this was a time, Iran crisis. Gas lines were huge. There was inflation. This was a rough time. Did you even realize -- did any of you guys realize that you were this sort of inspiring -- you were the only inspiring thing going on at that time?
CRAIG: You know, I don't think we did.
And even if the movie, as good as it's done, the kids today, they really don't understand what communism was and how strong a power Russia was and how that there are soldiers in the Red Army were nothing but professional players. And so it's really hard to have people capture that feeling. But if you listen to that speech that Jimmy Carter does, you can see how nervous and how unassured he is, even in that speech.
So I think it's great, at least for my son and daughter. It shows them how lucky we are to be Americans and how many things that we take for granted. And we have our men and women fighting for us right now to keep this beautiful country of ours. And so I'm just thrilled that we have a really good movie where kids can go. You can go with your grandmother all the way down to your youngest.
And it's just a real, true story about something that was great. And I'm just part of it with 20 great guys. And that cheer, "USA," came out of there. And isn't that great that people felt it from their hearts after four, five or six games that that's what they were feeling? So it means a lot to us, because it means so much to other people.
PHILLIPS: Well, yes. And my girlfriend's kids, these young boys are going to see the movie two and three times. And this is a whole different generation still inspired by this moment. What do your kids say to you? Do they look at you and say, wow, dad, you were really cool?
CRAIG: Yes. I think the thing that's nice about it is that it's a sense of pride with our whole family.
And just Gavin O'Connor and the folks at Disney who worked so hard on this, today, there are so many good stories, but people don't focus always on the good things. And it's really nice to see a movie that is real and heartwarming. It makes people leave there -- I say to people that, when you fight with your children and this comes on DVD, plug it in and then, at the end of the movie, everybody will give somebody a hug. And isn't that what it's supposed to be like?
PHILLIPS: Yes, it is. CRAIG: So I just feel great for everybody who enjoyed it. And I'm just happy that I was just a part of it.
PHILLIPS: Do you ever talk to any of those Russian players from the Olympics?
CRAIG: We have. It was funny. The best line that they told me was that they were so used to winning that it wasn't fun. And when they saw us win, they remembered the joy that they used to have.
PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh.
CRAIG: And they were so happy for us. And I thought that was very telling. Vladimir Luchenko (ph)
and I coached together. He was a player on that team. So we're giving back to hockey and to the youth some great experiences from a North American style and a European style.
PHILLIPS: You know, that's a miracle right there.
CRAIG: Yes.
PHILLIPS: That's pretty awesome. Jim Craig, what a pleasure. Will you hang out for a little while?
CRAIG: I absolutely will.
PHILLIPS: OK, there's a lot of people here that want to meet you.
CRAIG: Thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Jim.
CRAIG: You bet.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
